


in the night light, we still shine bright

by LugianBeforeSwine



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, kazunari is a very good boyfriend, set when they're third years in college, shintarou has social anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 04:45:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3715531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LugianBeforeSwine/pseuds/LugianBeforeSwine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Every time you kiss me, you're telling me that you love me.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the night light, we still shine bright

It’s nearly two in the morning when Kazunari loudly closes his textbook and stretches his arms above his head, yawning. He drops his book unceremoniously onto the floor and leans over to stare at Shintarou, who is nose-deep in a textbook of his own.

“Hey,” Kazunari says. Shintarou turns a page idly. “Hey, Shintarou.” Still no response. Kazunari purses his lips and flops down on the couch, his head landing in Shintarou’s lap. This, finally, gets his attention.

“What is it?” he asks, holding his book up higher so he has a clear view of Kazunari.

“Let’s take a study break,” Kazunari says, “and go for a walk.”

“Go for a walk?” Shintarou repeats incredulously. “It’s well below freezing outside.”

“Don’t worry,” Kazunari quips, “I’ll keep you warm.”

Shintarou gazes at him for a second longer, then huffs in a way that Kazunari knows means he has admitted defeat. Sure enough, he closes his textbook and places it gently on the end table. “Fine. But only because we’ve been studying diligently for the past few hours.”

“Hooray!” Kazunari says, and hurries off of the couch and around the corner. Shintarou gets up to follow him, and finds him in their bedroom donning his winter apparel. Shintarou follows suit, and they lock their apartment door before heading downstairs and out of their apartment complex.

They’ve only made it a few steps away from the building before Kazunari breathes, “Wow.”

Shintarou follows his gaze up to the night sky. There’s quite a lot of light pollution from all the buildings on and around campus, even at this hour, but somehow the stars appear brighter and more numerous than what Shintarou is used to seeing. “It is incredible,” he agrees. On an impulse, he reaches out a gloved hand to take Kazunari’s own, and finds that Kazunari’s hand is already halfway to his.

Kazunari giggles, sounding just a touch embarrassed. “Great minds think alike,” he says. Shintarou twines their fingers together and hums in agreement.

They walk aimlessly, with no destination in mind, until Kazunari suddenly stops. “Look,” he begins, holding his free hand out palm-up, “it’s snowing.” Sure enough, a snowflake lands on Kazunari’s black glove and dissolves within a few seconds.

“Do you want to head back now?” Shintarou asks.

“Not really,” Kazunari says. “It’s just a little flurry.” He pauses. “Unless you want to?”

“No,” Shintarou answers immediately, squeezing Kazunari’s hand. “It’s beautiful.” Kazunari is inclined to agree. They continue walking in silence, enjoying the snow and the other’s presence. Halfway across a bridge over the river that cuts through campus, Shintarou stops and removes his hand from Kazunari’s. He walks to the side of the bridge and peers out at the dark river.

Kazunari gives him a couple moments to himself, then comes to stand next to him. “What are you thinking about?”

Shintarou turns slowly, meeting Kazunari’s eyes. “I’m thinking about how, despite all the progress I’ve made, I still wish I could be even better. For myself, and for you.”

Kazunari gives him a small smile, resting an elbow on the wooden ledge of the bridge. “Shintarou, you are doing everything you can, and I’m proud of you. No matter what, I’ll always be here to support you.” He leans in closer, his smile growing a little wider. “I love you, Shintarou.”

There’s a pause. Shintarou’s mouth opens and closes. Kazunari is still smiling, which, frankly, is quite a relief. Shintarou clears his throat before asking, “Does it…bother you?”

Kazunari tilts his head a little. “Does what bother me?”

Shintarou can feel his face flushing, and knows he can’t blame it entirely on the cold. He tugs his scarf up a little higher and says, “That I’ve never said…you know…” Even now, he can’t do it, and it’s shameful, it’s awful, because he _does_ love Kazunari, more than anything and anyone, and it’s not fair to him that Shintarou just can’t make the words come out—

Kazunari exhales a quick puff of air from his nose. Shintarou can’t tell if it was a laugh or a sigh. Neither option seems very favorable. But then Kazunari speaks. “Just because you’ve never said those exact words doesn’t mean I can’t tell that you love me.”

For a moment, Shintarou’s expression softens, but then he looks worried again. “How can you be so sure?” he breathes, and Kazunari wants to laugh at how serious Shintarou looks right now, but he knows it would be taken the wrong way. So instead, he loops his arm through Shintarou’s and leans against him, looking up into his eyes.

“Well,” he begins, “remember that time the entire team forgot it was my birthday, but you remembered and treated me to dinner after practice?”

“Yes, but that’s not—”

“Or,” Kazunari continues, cutting him off, “the time I called you after midnight because I was feeling lonely, and you came over and stayed up talking to me even though we had early practice the next morning?”

Shintarou opens his mouth to say something, but Kazunari just presses closer to him, turning his head to look out over the river before continuing to speak.

“What about the time when I forgot to bring that big econ project to class and you biked across campus in the rain to bring it to me? And then, of course,” he continues before Shintarou can say a word, “there’re the littler things you do, like taking my hand, or playing with my hair, or letting me cuddle in your bed with you even though it’s 80 degrees outside—”

Shintarou’s hand is suddenly on his chin, gently turning his face so that their eyes meet again. Kazunari grins. Shintarou’s face is flushed up to the tips of his ears, and his expression is a mix between flattered and embarrassed. Kazunari closes his eyes just as Shintarou leans in closer to him, like he knows exactly what Shintarou’s thinking and is happy to go along with his plan. Their lips meet a second later, soft and warm despite the cold night air, and Kazunari tips his head a little to get a better angle as he presses back gently against Shintarou’s mouth.

“And,” Kazunari says softly when they break apart, faces still close enough together to feel each other’s breath fan out, “every time you kiss me, you’re telling me that you love me.”

Shintarou appears as though he’s about to cry, which worries Kazunari for a split second, but then Shintarou’s arms are around his waist, and Kazunari nuzzles against his shoulder.

“Thank you,” Shintarou says after a moment. Kazunari’s hands squeeze the fabric of Shintarou’s jacket against his back. There’s another pause, then Shintarou drops his head against Kazunari’s shoulder. “You are everything to me, Kazunari,” he breathes. Kazunari can feel his own face heating up; he may very well be on the verge of tears, himself.

“I know,” he whispers, squeezing his arms tighter around Shintarou’s back. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote _one_ KnB fic for a pairing that isn't MidoTaka, and then the next day this explodes into my brain, demanding to be written, like some sort of punishment for forgetting about these two. (as if I could ever forget about these two they are my favorites)
> 
> Talk sappy MidoTaka with me at deadpan-snarker.tumblr.com.


End file.
